For All That Wishes May Be Worth
by thepurplewriter333
Summary: "The other riders are beside us, and they look back at Hiccup's pale form on the bed too. But nothing has yet changed. We're still a family, taking on a fool's mission once more. None of us should be planning on traveling the rest of the night in the bitter cold, but we are, for one single, solitary reason. Hiccup told us he wanted to die at home." [Hiccstrid, Hiccup!whump]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! So, this new story- something new I'm trying out- is based off of something written by** _ **Debbie**_ **L.** **Don't look her up, she's not on Fanfiction . net! She's on a site called _BonanzaLegacy,_ in the Bonanza fandom- yup, I'm not just in the HTTYD fandom *wink*-, and I loved the story so much that I **_**had**_ **to make a HTTYD version of it for you wonderful people! Sadly, she's no longer around, so I couldn't ask her for permission to post this. But I still give her full credit for the idea, so no plagiarism here. :P**

 **Also, this is sort of a** **What-If or a What-Happens-Next for Defenders of the Wing, Pt 2** **. It's literally set after the first episode of season four. And it's from ****Astrid's POV ,** **if anyone was confused from the summary! XD Enjoy, guys!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

I have always underestimated Hiccup.

Of course I'd never admit that to anyone, least of all to him.

We indulged Hiccup, each of us, in our own way. He and Fishlegs would often excite over a new dragon species or dragon eye lense. Snotlout and him would often quarrel, but made up in the end with a simple handshake or a pat on the back. Tuffnut always had a prank or ridiculous scheme up his sleeve for Hiccup, whereas Ruffnut would have to get him out of it or make it even worse. Stoick guided him steadily throughout the years, often knowing just the right thing to say or do for his son. He wasn't the most gentle of fathers, but he showed his love in more ways than I can count.

I took a different tacit with Hiccup, and looking back, I don't know if it was a wise one. I could always see a trail of recklessness ahead of him, and I didn't know if I'd ever be able to catch up before it was too late.

I know Hiccup thought that I didn't take him seriously most of the time, that I considered him nothing more than a desperate leader with desperate plans. Ironically enough, nothing could have been further than the truth.

I always took Hiccup seriously, far more seriously than he will ever know. There are some things that are better left unsaid at the end of the day, and this was certainly one of them. Often, it's easier to laugh away a fear than it is to face a hard truth.

I'm looking hard at that truth right now, and I hope it's not too late.

I've always been afraid that Hiccup would die at the hands of an enemy. It's a bitter realization that I might be proved right. But how could I ever have been more wrong? Now I would give anything... _anything_ for Hiccup to have made the wrong choice, for him to have done the wrong thing, for him to not be lying unconscious in his cot at the Edge at this very moment.

Stoick sits beside me in a chair next to Hiccup's bed. His back is bowed and trembling, almost as if he were cold. But I know better. It's been an exhausting day, and we still have a long ways more before we get back to Berk. It didn't help that his only son was dying, either.

I look over my shoulder, away from Hiccup's loft for just a moment, and can see his face, ghostly in the moonlight and drugged into a dreamless sleep. His ruined body is hidden with the layers and layers of blankets we so carefully tucked around him.

My vision's surreal. He looks so peaceful that I can almost believe he's just asleep. Hiccup could sleep anywhere, that's what we always told him. He could fall asleep riding Toothless at full speed if he tried to.

I shake my head. It's been a long time since I had more than an hour of sleep, and it's starting to show.

The other riders are beside us, faces dreary, and they look back at Hiccup's pale form on the bed too. I know that Fishlegs is fretting that I've noticed something he hasn't. He looks at me, with something like panic lighting on his face, but I shake my head slowly, and he looks away.

Nothing at all has changed. We're still together, a family, taking on a fool's mission once more. None of us have a right to be planning on traveling the rest of the night to Berk in the bitter cold, but we are... for a single, solitary reason.

Hiccup told us he wanted to die at home.

* * *

 _Two Days Earlier_

The message had arrived from the Defenders, only five days after the rest of the riders and I returned to the Edge after fighting off the lava. Heather had gone to visit Berserk. Hiccup had stayed behind with the Defenders, to oversee their reconstruction.

Throk had brought the news himself from his island, sailing tirelessly and endlessly for over two days, and he looked like an apparition by the time he finally reached the Edge where Fishlegs and I were chatting by the docks.

"Dragon Riders," Throk panted at us as he unboarded his ship, and shook the crumpled piece of paper in his fist. "Go get the rest of you. Now!"

"Is it Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked immediately, nervousness clear in his tone.

But Fishlegs and I really didn't need an answer. Throk wouldn't look either of us in the eye. Of course it had to be Hiccup. I knew immediately that any news of his had to be from his island, and if it came from that island... it had to be bad news.

None of us wanted to leave him in that village, alone. After we had rescued the Eruptadon and took care of the exploding volcanoes of both the Defenders' and the Edge, there was still much destruction in their village that needed to be cleared.

Predictably, Mala convinced Hiccup that he could help with the task. Hiccup, tired and older than I had ever seen him before, agreed, and told us all that he considered it a responsibility to stay until the job was finished.

I remember clearly how I retorted, "Hiccup, in a village of this size, they can fix it up by themselves easily."

Hiccup had looked at me with such a pointed expression, it made the breath stick in my throat, and then he said with a small smile, "It _is_ our fault for all the destruction that was caused, Astrid. Besides, what can happen in a little island like theirs? Nothing. I'll be fine."

I began to protest, before I caught myself on Hiccup's impish grin. All of us laughed then, together. Of course, we all wanted to stay with him, keep an eye on things, under the guise of lending a helpful hand. But soon, I was persuaded otherwise. Hiccup had every right to stay behind, and we had neglected our duties at the Edge long enough. An island that size wouldn't run itself.

"Throk, I asked you if it was Hiccup," Fishlegs said again.

His voice broke into my thoughts. I could hear the old hint of panic in his voice. It was the same voice I had heard over the years, every time someone even took a notion to harming Hiccup.

"Please, just bring the others," Throk repeated, less forcefully than before. He wiped the sweat and grime off his face with the back of his hand, and looked at us at last. There was no mistaking the pity in his eyes. I think that pity startled me more than Throk's wild sailing had. With that, I broke out of my reverie and ran to get the others.

The next hour brought images that that would forever remain marked in my mind: The shocked expression on Snotlout's face, when I literally ran into him as he, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut headed out of the clubhouse to see what Throk wanted. My whisper of "Hiccup!" as I clenched the unfolded message in my hand, sagging against Fishlegs as if suddenly an old maid.

The grim movements of preparing for a hard flight. The things we carried. Bedrolls, blankets, canteens. A medicine kit, loaded with labeled jars of herbs. Saddles adjusted and tightened, dragons watered and fed. All the tasks that need to be taken care of before we could breach the many miles that separated us from Hiccup.

I don't think we spoke a word to each other until we were very close to the Defenders. This, in itself, wasn't unusual. We all were fairly quiet- save for Snotlout, most of the time-, when left to ourselves. It never took more than a look or a shrug to communicate much of what needed to be said. Hiccup was the one who kept us all talking, and bound together as one.

 _Hiccup._ The thought put an ache in my heart.

As I edged on Stormfly, it occurred to me that I'd never hear the end of it if Hiccup knew I'd give about anything to hear him tell me one of his corny jokes again. And I would. But of course, he didn't need to know that.

"Astrid," Snotlout spoke at last. His voice, unused for so long, stuck like grit in the back of his throat. "We have to face the truth. We might already be too late."

"Snotlout!" Ruffnut yelled, and I saw both anger and worry flaring in her wide eyes. "Don't say that. Hiccup's going to be _fine."_

"Indeed, sister!" Tuffnut cheered.

"It's all right, Ruff," I said softly, and then I turned to face Snotlout. To my surprise, I wasn't angry. Just weak. "Snotlout, I know what you're trying to say, and I appreciate it. But you know how Hiccup hates to be alone, especially when he's injured or sick. I'd guess he's waiting for us right now." I nodded. "Let's go."

I turned Stormfly sharply down to the village. As we flew, the trees grew denser, and the ground sandier and less fertile. No birds sang. Not another sound was emitted besides the gentle fluttering of our dragons' wings. I grimaced. Who would build a village on such a Thor-forsaken island?

Off against a nearby hill, I could see several buzzards and a single wild dragon finishing off a carcass, unrecognizable already in its state of decay. More buzzards circled overhead, obviously waiting for their fair share of the prize.

Death was all around us, on the way to our dying leader.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the support last chapter! Hope you all like this one too! ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

"Dragon Riders!" Mala's soft, pinched face was the first sight I saw as we dropped down into the village. Despite myself, I could not bring myself to hate the woman. According to Throk's message, she had done everything she could do under the circumstances. But I had no intention of shaking her hand.

"Where's Hiccup?" I instantly demanded.

"Astrid, this is terrible," Mala said in genuine remorse. "A tragedy. I can't begin to tell you how sorry–"

"Where's Hiccup?" I said again, cutting off her preamble of apologies, and at once Mala quieted and pointed down the road towards the healer's hut. With a sickening twist of despair, I realized the last time I had been down this road, Hiccup had kissed my hand and sent me on my way back to the Edge. When he was healthy. Uninjured.

Alive...

We left our dragons at the center of the village. The other riders walked away as quickly as their saddle sore legs could carry them, unable to wait another minute to get to Hiccup. We still didn't know what had happened to him, and I intended to find out.

I stormed up to Mala, and met her gaze with a steely expression. "Now you listen to me," I growled. "I want you to tell me exactly what happened to my best friend. _What happened to Hiccup?"_

"You see, Astrid," Mala began, slowly, hesitating. "When the Eruptadon was taken by Viggo Grimborn, it was presumed that Hiccup and the rest of you had done it before proved otherwise. But still, word spread quickly that Hiccup was the real kidnapper of the Great Protector, and was not supposedly innocent. My warriors started talking that it was only a matter of time before someone took him on."

"What happened to Hiccup?" I asked, and chided myself for the tremor that found its way into my voice. I cleared my throat instead. "Keep talking. I need to know."

"Hoark Riddleston. Hoark Riddleston happened to your leader," Mala said, and for a moment, I heard something in the woman's voice. I heard a bitterness that threatened to meet my own, and a hint of sadness that I did not like one bit. "Hoark Riddleston was fifteen years old," she continued. "A violent child, trouble from the day he was born. Couldn't have been more different from Hiccup. It turns out, he decided to be a full-out warrior at an early age and he wanted to start out young. He decided to begin with Hiccup."

My eyes widened and I felt myself pale. "And?"

She hesitated. "He told his friends that the way to make a name for himself was to take on the real kidnapper of the Great Protector. Hoark challenged Hiccup, in the middle of the road. I saw the whole thing. I was standing right where we are now. Hiccup said 'No,' and was about to walk away. Hoark was small for his age. To Hiccup, I'd imagine he looked like he was twelve or thirteen. Hoark got mad. He always had a terrible temper. He drew a knife and threw it at Hiccup anyways, and the knife hit him right underneath the collarbone. Our healer said it was the angle that made it so bad. If Hiccup had not turned when he did, the knife might have missed."

"Where can I find this Hoark Riddleston?" I heard myself asking in a distant voice. My anger had congregated and seeped out of me, like runoff from a storm, but I could not let go of it yet. There was still business to be done.

"You can't find him," Mala replied simply. "He's dead."

"But I thought you said Hiccup wouldn't fight him," I said, confused. "And even if he would, Hiccup would never kill him!"

"Hiccup wouldn't hurt him," Mala corrected. "But Throk would. Your friend was lying in the street. He was bleeding badly and was unconscious. Hoark walked over to him and had pointed his sword at Hiccup's head. He was about to finish the job, but Throk stepped in and had to kill him." She allowed a moment to pause. "Throk killed Hoark Riddleston, Astrid."

I couldn't speak to her. I could barely get my mind around the facts of the fight, let alone the repercussions. All the times I had badgered Hiccup into thinking things through correctly, into doing the reasonable thing.

There would be no trial, no punishment, no prison sentence for the boy who nearly killed Hiccup, or soon would. Justice had been demanded and exacted without me. There was nothing left for me to do.

I turned away from Mala and walked slowly down the road, to join the other riders and Hiccup.

I just hoped I wasn't too late.

* * *

The door creaked open, and I took my time entering the healer's hut. I looked over my shoulder, and noticed for the first time that the road seemed to be deserted.

As my eyes became accustomed to the dimness of the light in the room – makeshift, oilcloth curtains seemed to obscure every window – I tried to take in the facts, as the healer rattled off his well-rehearsed litany: A broken collarbone where the knife made initial contact. A splintery wound with jagged edges, almost impossible to clean. A massive case of infection kicking in fast. Everything had gone downhill, as soon as it had begun. No hope, really. No hope at all.

"It's a miracle he lasted, until you got here," he told us.

I leaned against the wall, and folded my arms carefully. For a moment, I considered that if I had stayed with Hiccup here, I could have stopped all of this. I could have protected him. So many things I could have done differently, if only I had known what would happen ahead of time.

"Hiccup?" I whispered, coming forward. The rest of the riders, and even Toothless, were crowded around his bed. I couldn't even get a look at him.

"Hiccup, can you hear us?" Snotlout asked. He looked up eagerly at me. "Astrid, I think he's waking up!"

"Mm… T-Toothless? Astrid..." Hiccup's voice was so faint, I could barely hear it from where I stood.

"Hiccup?" I repeated, feeling my heart flutter in relief. "We're here. We came as fast as we could."

"I'll tell you one thing, Hiccup," Tuffnut said, and I heard the smile he forced into his voice. "You sure did go to a lot of trouble to get us back here."

If Hiccup had the strength for it, I figured he would smile at Tuffnut. That's the way he was with all of us. He would always put a smile on his face and tell everyone he was all right, even if he knew he wasn't.

"Glad you could make it," Hiccup whispered again. I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to get a look at him. I squeezed between the rest of the riders to find my own space near the bed.

My first thought upon seeing Hiccup's face was that he was already ruined. I knew one thing for sure. I had never seen him so sick. I sat beside him on the bed. I didn't need to feel Hiccup's forehead to know it was ablaze with fever. A fine sheen of sweat covered him like a shroud, and his eyes were glossy and bright with the haze that a high temperature can bring. His entire body trembled. He just couldn't get warm.

The healer must have thought the same thing, because he stood and pulled a mess of blankets from an overhead shelf.

Hiccup noticed me, with the healer out of the way, and somehow managed a small smile. I always joked that he would still be laughing in his grave, but now I choked on the thought and willed it away.

"Hey, Hiccup," I murmured weakly. I squeezed his hand. "How're you feeling?"

"Never better," he whispered, and this time, we both grinned.

I drew the sheet back from Hiccup's shoulder. I couldn't accept the healer's word alone. I needed to see what we were dealing with for myself. As I pulled back the bandage, I heard Toothless's moan rise from deep down inside his throat, and I could see Fishlegs' hand begin to tremble. We all knew what we were looking at. Every one of us, Hiccup included, had seen the loss of a life before, and this is what it looked like.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Hiccup's voice was stronger this time, and I noticed that he didn't really ask us. He already knew.

"Yes." My voice somehow held steady, as well. I couldn't lie to him now. I just couldn't. "It's… it's bad."

"Thanks for getting here. I didn't think there was still time," he admitted.

I worried that all of us might be too much for the rickety cot, but it was obvious Hiccup wanted us close by. I held my breath, as the frame groaned and held. Hiccup had always wanted company. Even routine illnesses required an audience for Hiccup; he couldn't stand to be alone.

Stoick said I, on the other hand, was just like a cat. When injured or upset, I preferred to find a dark, quiet place where I could curl into myself and tend to my wounds, in my own way, in my own good time. I wondered if I would be able to find a place dark enough or quiet enough to wait out the sorrow that looked to be in store for us all.

"Hiccup," Snotlout said, shaking his finger firmly. "You're going to be fine, you got that? We're here, and we've got all the time in the world. No reason to worry. Right?"

Hiccup stared at me over his shoulder, and he shook his head, ever so slightly. If I had not been looking for it, I would have missed it entirely. His look clearly told me, _Look after them_. I could hear it echo in my mind again and again, just like Hiccup had actually said the words out loud.

 _No I won't agree to it_ , I wanted to shout at him. _If it means you'll stay_.

But that wasn't my way. I nodded at him and made sure that he could see it. Hiccup smiled softly, and I ached at the man he had so suddenly become. But what eighteen year old man laid on his own deathbed? How could such a promising life be cut so short? It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all.

Hiccup's eyes were beginning to close, and I could tell that it cost him dearly to stay awake. I exchanged a knowing look with the healer. We needed to give him time to sleep, and he wasn't going to get a lot of rest with all of us sitting on his bed like that.

"Hiccup, you need to rest," I chided gently, and leaned in close to his ear before pecking him on the cheek. "We'll be right here. We're not going anywhere."

Hiccup grabbed at my arm, with an urgency that caught all of us off guard. "Astrid," he said slowly. "You have to get me home. To Berk..."

I was confused, but quickly covered it up, for my own sake and his. "Of course we'll take you home, Hiccup. When you're well enough to make the trip."

"No, Astrid," he protested softly. "I need to go home today."

"Impossible," the healer behind us exclaimed. "This boy's condition is so fragile, I highly doubt he'd make it out of this village!"

We turned to stare at him, and the glare we leveled at him was nearly tangible. I wondered how the man could remain standing under it.

Hiccup's eyes had closed, and his fever shakes had abated so suddenly that I reached my hand to his neck, just to be certain. Life still pulsed, ever so reluctantly, and Hiccup once more opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Astrid," he whispered again. "I can't die here. Need to get home. Berk. If I don't make it the whole way, at least that's where I'll be headed."

I nodded, and he closed his eyes. I stood up, and then signaled for the healer to follow me out of the room. Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins stayed right where they were.

"It will kill him," the healer said abruptly, as soon as we left Hiccup's quarters and walked out into the main room. I never thought a healer's hut could seem inviting, in comparison to the room we just left. "The infection is getting worse by the hour. You put him on the back of a dragon, expose him to all the elements, and he won't live until morning."

"Is he going to live if he stays here?" I asked just as firmly, and I tried not to look back at Hiccup's door.

"No," the healer admitted, and he rubbed at his eyes. I wondered how many hours the man had gone without sleep, as he had tended to Hiccup for the past few days.

"How can you make that judgment?" I growled. "How can you say what's possible and what's impossible? How can you know if someone lives or dies?"

"I don't," he said shortly, and when he looked back at me, the sympathy apparent in his eyes was acute. "I am not one of the gods. But I will tell you that we have a brave, preservant, young man on our hands. The entire village is indebted to him, myself included. His best chance at survival is to stay here, where I can look after him. If nothing else, I can keep him comfortable until– "

"Hiccup's not one for making comfortable choices," I interrupted, sending him a black look. "And he's certainly not one for doing what's expected." When he didn't reply, I went on. "I'll go get his dragon now and prepare him for the flight home. After that, I'll get started packing Hiccup's things. The other riders can stay with him until we're ready."

I let a long moment pass before speaking again.

"Good day," I said stiffly, and started back towards Hiccup's room.

The healer rushed to catch up with me, and he grabbed my arm. "You mean to do it, then? You're planning to leave with him?" he gasped.

"As soon as we can," I snapped. "I don't want to waste another minute of Hiccup's life, especially on this island."

I walked away then, and did not look back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long-ish wait, I've been super busy lately! *cough* Anyways, happy Halloween guys! Have a spooooookyyyy one! ;)**

 **Also, I'll have a surprise up for you guys later... I think you'll like it. :) This is the last chapter of _For All That Wishes May Be Worth_ , by the way, so I hope you've enjoyed it! Feedback is greatly appreciated, and thanks for all the support so far! ****Now, off to those demanding trick or treaters. *sigh* They're quite intimidating though...**

 **Anywho, I'll see you lovely folks at the next story! Happy reading, and have a horrifying night! ;) :P**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

It took longer than we thought to get ready. I think I bought every blanket, every bandage, and every conceivable provision that the Defenders could offer by the time we were ready to go.

We agreed that Fishlegs would ride Toothless, while I would take Hiccup on Stormfly. As Hiccup was slipped down in front of me, carefully poised against Stormfly's warm neck, I wondered if he would make it back to Berk after all. He looked so ill... so pale... and _young..._

"You all right, Hiccup?" I asked carefully, looking down at his strained expression. It hurt me to see him like this.

"I'm fine, Astrid," Hiccup told me, looking over his shoulder to give me a weak smile. "I'll be even better once I get off of this island."

I nodded, and then put my arms around his neck. I didn't want him to slip off, as weak as he was, and I wasn't about to let him go again.

 _Not again._

Suddenly, Mala appeared, looking up at me from my side. "Astrid," she began carefully, and I noted the hesitation in her tone as she spoke. She cleared her throat. "On behalf of all of the Defenders, I would like to offer my condolences for what happened to Hiccup Haddock. He was a very brave young man."

"Present tense," I snapped, and felt myself irritated by the confusion in her eyes. "You referred to Hiccup in past tense. He's still alive, you know."

"Oh." She looked uncomfortable. "Yes."

I kicked Stormfly's side furiously, and felt her jolt upwards with surprising spirit.

I waited until we passed the last of the island before I added, "And he's going to stay that way... for a long... _long_ time."

* * *

 _The Present_

It's been a long, hard flight so far. Our decision to leave seemed so clear at the time, but I know we've all reconsidered our choice many times along the way.

Hiccup was in so much pain during the first stretch of the trip, that we insisted he take some of the pain powders the healer had prepared for him. He resisted of course, telling us he wanted to be awake as long he could. But we won in the end. Hiccup simply did not have the strength to put up much of a struggle.

As it turned out, we decided to stop at the Edge for the night before going into Berk. We all needed a few hours of rest- most of all Hiccup. Stoick was already there before we arrived. Someone had sent him a Terror Mail about what had happened, I guessed, but I didn't know who.

His face drained of color when he saw his limp son dangling against Stormfly's neck, but soon we all had calmed down and he'd carried Hiccup back inside his hut, lying him down with a fatherly gentleness in bed.

I haven't moved from this chair in hours, and neither has he. We're both too worried to possibly sleep. Worried that if we do, Hiccup will be taken away from us. Worried that if we do... he'll die.

With an exhausted sigh, I look up, and I can see the stars through the hazy doorway of Hiccup's hut. It's a lovely night, the sort of night that can make a person pause.

The moon is full, orange, and bittersweet, marking the end of the fall. Leaves, like omens, flutter down in the wind, and I let myself feel regret for the passing of another season. Where does the time go? If there's a time and a place for everything, then I demand a second count. Who could provide a reckoning for the shortness of this season?

I look over my shoulder again, and grimly note that Hiccup has not moved for hours. It bothers me that he doesn't even cry out in pain. It can't be a good sign. We gave him enough medicine to comfort him, not to take him out of the world.

He would have wanted to study the sky on such a fine night. When he was younger, Hiccup liked nothing more than to lie under the stars with Toothless and me sometimes, and connect the dots of light with his finger. How he knew the names and locations of each star and galaxy, I'd never know. But we had one thing in common: the night sky always made us feel small.

With a start, a memory comes upon me that I haven't thought of for years. I hear Hiccup's voice, boyish with sincerity, return from the years that have passed since he spoke the words.

At the time, it seemed like such a ridiculous thing for him to say, coming from such a young boy. But I remember it now, and the memory makes me draw in a breath. I sit up straight, panting.

I need to remember exactly what Hiccup said.

I remember the funeral of a very haggard old man named Moarson in our village, standing at the docks with my family as his pyre slowly floated away. Hiccup couldn't have been more than sixteen years old at the time. The older man had died of old age and bad decisions, and as we watched as the pyre disappeared into the waters, I wondered about the time that would come when this happened to one of us.

Then Hiccup turned to me, eyes so hollow and full of silent mourning, and he quietly said, "I never want to die in my sleep."

In my mind's memory, he looks at me with such intensity and his words echo with such force that I sit up completely straight. I can't get enough air into my lungs. _Hiccup doesn't want to die in his sleep._ I can breathe the words, in and out, as if they're air. Stoick's hand comes down on my shoulder, with concern that something is wrong. He's right to be concerned.

Everything's wrong, and I need to wake Hiccup up right now.

"Stoick, we need to wake him up!" I shout, not caring if I frighten him or the other riders. I suddenly feel that we have no time left at all. "Hiccup needs to wake up!"

"Astrid, don't you think it's better that he gets his sleep?" Stoick asks the question gently. He has no anger left either, just the sorrow of a future life cut short.

"No, he needs to wake up," I say again, and this time, Stoick allows a slow nod. I stand up.

I reach out to touch the side of Hiccup's face. To my enormous relief, I realize he's still breathing. He inhales and exhales slowly, giving me some hope. Even the air feels warmer somehow, as if autumn is choosing to stick around, just for a little while longer. Coincidentally, Hiccup's face feels cooler, less clammy with fever and pain. Perhaps the night air has been a tonic after all. I take his wrist and feel his pulse, steady and persistent. Hiccup's face is lit by the luminous glow of the moonlight.

I see him clearly, then. No one can take this away from Hiccup, no matter how the night may end.

"Hiccup, wake up," I say as gently as I can, before growing more panicked. "Hiccup. Wake up! You don't want to miss this."

He turns his head away from me, and I can see his lips move. He's lost in his sleep and delirium. I shake him again. Stoick always says that nothing can get in my way once I've made up my mind, and I'd guess that he's right. I keep shaking Hiccup.

"Astrid," Tuffnut says from beside me, his voice strained with grief. "He's sleeping. Can't it wait until morning?"

"No!" I shout with irritation, and grab hold of both sides of Hiccup's face. "Hiccup, you need to wake up!"

This time he stirs, and reluctantly opens his eyes.

"Are we home?" he asks softly, with some confusion on his expression. My face is blocking the stream of moonlight, and I'd imagine that it's difficult for him to see. I smile at him, knowing he can't make out my face just yet.

"No, not quite," I tell him. "We've got a while to go still. Thought you might want to have a look at the stars. They're beautiful tonight."

He tries to look past me, and I lean to the side, so he can stare through the opening of his hut towards the night sky. As the leaves stir in the wind, I can feel something stir inside me as well. Hiccup keeps looking, and the light of the moon is so bright, I can see the shadows of the trees slashed like arrows across the floor in front of us. Hiccup's eyes are bright, not feverish at all, and are filled with wonder at the expanse of possibilities around him.

"Stoick, come feel his forehead," I whisper, and make room for the Chief to come over. "I can't say for sure, but he feels cooler to me..."

Stoick leans over, places his hand on Hiccup's head for a long moment's rest, and smiles at me in wondrous affirmation. Like me, he can hardly make any sense of it.

"Son," he says in shock, and I can hear the trembling excitement inside his voice, edged with disbelief. "He is cooler, Astrid." His voice is shaky when he looks up at me, taking a moment to breathe. " _He is."_

The other Riders stare at Stoick and I as if we've lost our minds. In the ghostly shroud of this strange night, they're probably right. With a weak shrug, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut come crowding over to see if what we claim is true.

"How're you doing, cuz?" Snotlout asks as kindly as he can manage. He places his hand on Hiccup's forehead, allowing a moment to pause. Then his face melts into relief. "He is cooler," he gasps, and soon Fishlegs and the twins are all clambering to make sure Hiccup is all right as well.

Hiccup stares at them, looks at Stoick and I, and he shakes his head in disbelief. "Have you all gone mad?" he asks, clearly bewildered, and I realize we all have our hands still resting on his face. Even Toothless is jumping around with giddish excitement.

"Look at his shoulder," Stoick says, his voice shaking so badly he can hardly get the words out.

I fumble with the bandages, and Hiccup cries out in pain when my fingers brush against his wound.

"Sorry Hiccup," I whisper, and loosen the bandage at last. Even in the dim light, we can see that the red and black flames that radiated from the wound earlier seem to be receding. It makes no sense at all, but Hiccup seems to be getting better.

The other riders see it too, and they let loose with an excited frenzy that I imagine would startle the birds right out of the trees. Stoick thumps us all on the back, and we shake each other's hands and laugh in relief until we can't stand it any more. Despite the fact that there's no room for us all crowded around Hiccup's cot, we still lean towards him in wondrous exhaustion.

Hiccup smiles at us, and he whispers, "I was right. You all are crazy."

"No crazier than you, dragon boy," I chide softly. And then a wave of exhaustion crashes down on me. "No crazier than you."

Then I lean over and kiss him, too relieved and too tired to even think about what I'm doing before it's already done.

But then he kisses me back.

Then we pull apart, and he almost immediately closes his eyes, fast asleep. This time, I don't wake him up. His sleep is peaceful and necessary. He'll wake up again in the morning, stronger than ever.

Stoick is looking at me with somewhat a surprised expression, whereas the rest of the riders are gawking at what just happened. But I don't care. Hiccup's alive, and he's going to stay that way for a long time. At least, he will if I have a say about it.

We're no longer in a hurry to get back to Berk, so we all gradually settle down for the night next to Hiccup, either lounging in chairs or sitting peacefully against the hut's sturdy walls.

We... are a family.

And we watch Hiccup until dawn.


End file.
